Authors — Jason Guerrasio

Colma Rocks the Indie World

COLMA: THE MUSICAL. Accustomed as we are to lavish, star-studded productions like Dreamgirls, Chicago and Moulin Rouge, it’s rare to hear the words “low-budget” and “musical” uttered in the same sentence. Contrary to high-priced expectations, however, Colma: The Musical is an upstart indie produced on a shoestring budget in the San Francisco Bay Area that has built a groundswell of support on the festival circuit over the last year, earning awards and prominent placement on year-end critics’ lists. Colma director Richard Wong received a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination in November for the IFC/Acura Someone to Watch Award, which “recognizes […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Feb 22, 2007
UNDER THE INFLUENCE

For those who thought the Internet’s grasp on the creative side of filmmaking ended with the nosedive Snakes on a Plane took, think again. Variety reported yesterday about MySpace Movie MashUp, a competition to choose the director of a movie the site has teamed up to finance with U.K. based Film 4 and Vertigo Films. According to the Variety story, the film is set to begin shooting in October and has a $1.96 million budget. Vertigo will release the film theatrically while MySpace handles the online release and Film 4 will show it on their video-on-demand service. Beginning Wednesday, any […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Feb 6, 2007
VIVA PEDRO!

If you missed it in theaters late last year (or if you just want to build up your home library) out on DVD is the Pedro Almodóvar Classics Collection. Released by Sony Pictures Classics, the eight films include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), All About My Mother (1999), Talk to Her (2002), Flower of My Secret (1995), Live Flesh (1996), Law of Desire (1987), Matador (1986) and Bad Education (2004). It is a must have for the Almodóvar fan. GreenCine has this story up by Michael Guillén on the films. Here’s an excerpt: Not only does […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Feb 2, 2007
STUDIOS PASS ON SUPER BOWL

For those expecting to see teasers of summer tentpoles like Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third while munching on chips and wings this Super Bowl Sunday, Variety reports that’s unlikely to happen. In a game that’s watched by millions, most studios are passing on showing their ads during the game (one exception: Eddie Murphy’s latest Norbit, which you’ll see a lot of during the pregame show). Here’s how one consultant explains it in the story: “The problem is, if you’re not ready with your creative, you are left way too exposed,” noted one gun-shy marketing consultant. He cited the now-classic […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 30, 2007
WHITE PLASTIC FLOWER

If you only bookmark this blog, make sure to check out Jamie Stuart’s latest Filmmaker-sponsored podcast short from the Sundance Film Festival.
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 29, 2007
WHITE PLASTIC FLOWER

Jamie Stuart takes on the Sundance Film Festival in his latest short. Download the short here by right clicking and choosing Save Target or Save Link. Please visit Jamie’s site at www.mutinycompany.com.
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 29, 2007
SUNDANCE WRAPS

Following a Saturday evening awards ceremony, Sundance wrapped its 10-day run today with a series of award-winner screenings on Sunday. At the Saturday event, the drama Padre Nuestro, directed by Christopher Zalla, was announced winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. The Documentary Grand Jury Prize went to Jason Kohn‘s Brazil-set corruption saga Manda Bala (Send a Bullet). Audience prizewinners included James C. Straus‘s John Cusack-starrer Grace Is Gone for the Dramatic Audience Award and Documentary Audience Award recipient Hear and Now from Irene Taylor Brodsky. The complete list of awards is available on the festival website. After the awards […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 29, 2007
Snake Eyes

BLACK SNAKE MOAN. This article is part of Filmmaker’s Sundance 2007 Special Coverage. In Black Snake Moan Christina Ricci plays Rae, a nymphomaniac wracked by vivid memories and dreams of being sexually abused during her childhood. Also in Craig Brewer’s follow-up to his Sundance-hit Hustle and Flow is Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Lazarus, a God-fearing farmer who picks at his guitar, sings blues songs about sin, and, after a chance encounter, attempts to oversee Rae’s salvation. Some filmmakers might have taken the success they had with a film like Hustle and Flow and hightailed it straight to the world […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 25, 2007
Christopher Zalla, Padre Nuestro

PADRE NUESTRO. This article is part of Filmmaker’s Sundance 2007 Special Coverage. Padre Nuestro exemplifies the modern, international face of American independent cinema: the first-time director, Christopher Zalla, was born in Kenya, raised overseas (and is fluent in Spanish), schooled at Columbia, and created a stylish thriller that begins in Mexico and winds up in New York City. A smart film that — one could argue — uses its border-hopping protagonist’s stolen identity as a metaphor for globalization, Padre Nuestro will certainly spark debate at Sundance. Padre Nuestro screens at Sundance in dramatic competition. Can you say a little bit […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 25, 2007
David Kaplan, Year of the Fish

YEAR OF THE FISH. This article is part of Filmmaker’s Sundance 2007 Special Coverage. A veteran of Sundance with his short films — including the cryptic, menacing fairy tales, Little Red Riding Hood (starring Christina Ricci and Quentin Crisp!), Little Suck-A-Thumb, and The Frog King — which are regularly shown to film students as examples of exemplary short-form filmmaking, David Kaplan returns to the festival with his first feature, Year of the Fish. At once a singular New York immigrant story, as well as a re-imagining of the fairy tale (Kaplan’s real-world, adult conception of children’s stories can bring to […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Jan 24, 2007

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